“And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah.”

Jonah 1:17a (ESV)

The biblical story of Jonah is a popular one. Almost every church-going adult and child and many unchurched people can recall the basics of the story. God tells Jonah to travel to an evil city (Nineveh) and call the people to turn from their sin. Jonah finds a boat sailing in the opposite direction and hops aboard. God sends a storm that threatens to destroy the boat. After a great deal of panic among the crew, Jonah admits that the storm is punishment from God for his disobedience. He asks the men to throw him overboard and they happily oblige him.

At this stage many people believe God sends a big fish (probably a whale, but the Bible is not clear here) as a further punishment for Jonah’s rebellion. It’s a last line of suffering for the unruly Jonah.

However, the fish was actually an instrument of salvation.

In asking the men to toss him overboard, Jonah was inviting his death. He was abandoning the relative safety of the boat for the certain doom of the sea. Jonah was not looking for salvation; he was accepting death. His defiance incensed God. The God of the storm was coming after him. The ridiculous attempt to out-run God was foiled. He had nowhere to turn.

Yet God was not quite finished with Jonah. God used the storm to change Jonah’s direction, but He was not prepared to let it take Jonah’s life. In the midst of the raging storm, God uses a large creature to rescue Jonah from death. The big, probably scary animal swallows Jonah. The fish must have been frightening, but the storm was even more ominous. Without the whale, Jonah’s story ends in the sea.

After 3 days Jonah was saved from the whale, but first he was saved by the whale. Often God uses the scary and difficult to rescue His people from the eternally disastrous. Has God ever spared you from the storm by sending you into a whale?

Take a moment or two to consider the ways God has used a difficult circumstance to rescue you from an even more disastrous one.

Our culture is obsessed with celebrity. And like most societal obsessions, the church follows suit. Many Christians are enamored with accomplishing something great for God. While the idea sounds honorable, often the impetus behind the effort is a desire for personal gain. The close of Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome serves as a tremendous reminder that the gospel has been carried through the centuries on the shoulders of ordinary people.

Christian history has its share of prominent men and women. Even the most cursory glance at the past, however, reveals that for every notable person thousands of men and women labored in obscurity.

Paul mentions a few of these men and women.

⁹Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. ¹⁰Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. ¹¹Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. ¹²Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. ¹³Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. ¹⁴Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. ¹⁵Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.

Romans 16:9-15 (ESV)

Recognize any of those names?

Most of us will not be remembered in two generations. These men and women appear in the best-selling book of all time and they are hardly household names. Yet Paul’s extraordinary missionary ministry owed a debt to these people for their ‘hard work.’

Where are the men and women in our churches who labor for the sake of His Name and not for the sake of their own? And if you are one of these ordinary men or women laboring in obscurity, please know that while your name might be forgotten by people it will not be forgotten by God.

“. . . . Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

2 Corinthians 12:9b (ESV)

Here’s a new idea for most of us: brag about our weaknesses.

Near the end of this letter to the Corinthian church, Paul writes about his infamous “thorn in the flesh.” This passage, which has been the subject of considerable speculation throughout church history, offers a powerful challenge to contemporary generations.

We spend enormous amounts of time and energy trying to conceal our physical and mental limitations. Yet, the Bible calls these weaknesses great places to reveal the power of Christ.

Consider how strange this view is when compared to current cultural advice. We commonly hear phrases like. . . “Put your best foot forward” and “Never let them see you sweat.” While this advice has its place, most of us would rather conceal anything that resembles a weakness than appear the slightest bit incapable.

Paul’s not exactly calling for self-deprecation. He’s not advocating that we never work to improve areas of weakness or that we simply throw in the towel and walk away. Rather, he’s merely pointing to the reality that our weaknesses are not obstacles that God must overcome in order to use us. He might sharpen and refine us converting our weaknesses into strengths. But more often in my life He allows the weakness to remain, at least in part. In fact, what I consider a limitation is often the precise aspect of my physical or mental make-up He uses most powerfully for His glory.

And when you stop to consider it for a moment it makes perfect sense. The areas in my life that best display insufficiency can most clearly reveal God’s all-sufficiency.

Instead of lamenting your weaknesses today, take a moment to think about how God’s sufficiency can be seen through them. Then, take a few moments to thank God that you are woefully inadequate in more than one area of your life. Finally, when your weaknesses are uncovered, learn to brag about them.

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (ESV)

Church growth is an outflow not the aim. Our aim must always be planting and watering. Visible growth is sometimes God’s gift to faithful stewards. Other times visible growth is a gift to lousy stewards. And confusingly, visible growth sometimes comes in bizarre places under strange ministries. Regardless, growth is God’s to give and not ours to pursue.

Kingdom growth is our goal, but not our aim. Our goal or desire is for God to expand His rule and reign on earth. Our aim, however, is to fulfill our calling and to practice stewardship over our gifts. In other words, we focus on doing what we’re told for the purpose of seeing God accomplish this goal. We do not focus on manufacturing results.

This distinction, which rises from 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, is very important.

The call of God has never been to produce results.

• He didn’t ask Abraham to make a baby.
• He didn’t ask Moses to perform miracles or defeat Pharaoh or plan an escape.
• He didn’t ask Joshua to study military strategy or fight harder.
• He didn’t ask David to establish an empire.
• He didn’t ask Nehemiah to reestablish Jerusalem.
• He didn’t ask Isaiah to change people’s hearts.
• He didn’t ask the disciples to build the church.
• He didn’t ask the church to start a movement.
• He never commanded the church to grow.

Instead…

• He calls men and women to trust Him when the future is bleak.
• He calls men and women to obey His simple command even when it’s scary.
• He calls men and women to walk humbly down paths of power and prestige.
• He calls men and women to stay the course when opposition is strong.
• He calls men and women to preach faithfully when no one responds.
• He calls men and women to spread the good news to all people everywhere.
• He calls men and women to reflect Him in dark places.
• He invites men and women to live by faith and follow His voice.

Many people and churches have traded in their rightful calling for the pursuit of “successful ministry.” Whenever our decisions about ministry are based more on what is working than on faithfulness to the explicit call from Scripture, we have forsaken our aim in the name of our goal.

The tricky part is… the goal is not bad. It’s just not a very good aim. And we must maintain the distinction between our goal and our aim. God is responsible for meeting the goal of expanding His Kingdom. We are responsible for fulfilling our call to obedience by faith.

Which drives you:  growth or faithfulness?

Let’s make faithfulness our aim because pursuing growth will always eventually lead to forsaking our calling.

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)

So what do we make of the times in life when we are certain God is leading in one direction and then in a moment everything changes? How do we deal with life when the plan – the one we felt was from God – evaporates?

The pregnancy ends. The house doesn’t sell on time. The job falls through. The truth is never exposed. The car doesn’t last. The money runs out. The school denies your application. The injury doesn’t heal. The surgery doesn’t correct the problem. The cancer returns.

The plan… the one you were confident came from God… the one you had built your future around… the one you were counting on… the one you told your friends about… the answer to your problems… vanishes into thin air.

The apostle Paul faced situations like these during his life and ministry. At times he planned to follow a particular travel schedule or visit a certain group, but God’s plan was different. Through these moments, he learned (and wrote about) a valuable truth that provides great hope and comfort for all of us struggling to understand times of great disappointment.

In 2 Corinthians 2:14 he reminds the church that Jesus “leads us in triumphal procession.” What an incredible thought?

God directs our lives (and ministries). From the smallest detail to the most significant change, God leads his children. Rest assured in times of the greatest uncertainty, God is in control.

God directs our lives (and ministries) on a victorious path. We are not just surviving; we are triumphant. The path of your life is a demonstration of the triumph of Christ.

Regardless of your circumstances today, walk joyfully and confidently.

To embrace and appreciate the gospel (that is… the good news regarding God’s act to save us) fully, a person must grasp its necessity. The gospel is not just one particularly helpful solution to a problem that many people in our culture face. The gospel is the ONLY hope for every single human being (except Jesus).

Until we come to grips with the universal depravity of mankind, we will not love, appreciate, or treasure the gospel or the God who designed, planned, and carried it out.

¹⁰as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
¹¹no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
¹²All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”

Romans 3:10-12 (ESV)

At the heart of Paul’s systematic presentation of the gospel in his magnificent letter to the church in Rome, he labors to show mankind’s universal need for salvation. In fact, he devotes a massive chunk of this letter to establishing the foundation for these three verses.

For in these verses provide a summative declaration regarding the natural state of every human born into this world (except Jesus). Namely, we are enemies of God by our own choosing and we don’t know, understand, or even want Him.

If these verses describe our condition correctly, a few conclusions are obvious. I am naturally evil not good. Even on my best day I don’t want God. My hope of gaining merit with God is lost. My sinful heart leaves me with no value before a holy, perfect God.

Christian, don’t run from these conclusions for they are wonderful. Don’t ignore them or downplay them or hide from them or treat them like extraneous details or reject them. Embrace Romans 3:10-12. Thank God for its truthfulness because only in the light of our depravity does the gospel appear glorious and the God who accomplished it appear praiseworthy!

“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

1 Corinthians 1:17 (ESV)

As Paul expresses his disappointment at divisions in the Corinthian church, he teaches an important truth about preaching. He reminds them that his purpose while in Corinth was to preach the gospel, not baptize (which was at the heart of their divisiveness).

The first part of this sentence might seem odd at first, but the second part of the sentence provides the explanation. At first glance you might be asking… “If baptism is an important part of New Testament Christianity, why would Paul brag about his minimal participation in the baptism of new believers?” His goal was not to diminish baptism as much as it was to elevate the gospel. He was emphasizing the priority of preaching the simple message of the gospel.

This verse presents two important truths to digest.

Preaching the gospel must be the primary task of gospel ministers. And by ‘gospel ministers’ I mean those men who are called by God and set apart by the church for the ministry of the Word as pastors, missionaries, church elders, and the like.

At least two applications emerge for our churches. First, any man who aspires to this calling and does not love to “preach the gospel” must reevaluate what exactly he feels called to do. Second, any church that encourages or allows her pastor to veer from this task as his primary focus must revaluate her understanding of the role of ‘pastor.’

Preaching that depends on eloquent wisdom removes the cross’ power. The gospel plus anything (wisdom, creativity, novelty, etc.) makes the gospel less about the cross and more about the something else. When a ‘sermon’ springs from a creative element or a contemporary idea or the preacher’s intuition then what we hear is not powerful to save. Because when the cross is not the central element of the message, our message is simply not the gospel.

At first these talks might seem effective at drawing a crowd or “Christianizing” a community, but we must not trade immediate effectiveness for eternally significance. The Bible is clear: only the gospel (grounded in the cross) is powerful to transform lives!

So we’re left with a question… If the goal of Christian ministry is life transformation, why do our sermons contain so much ‘wisdom’ and so little ‘gospel’?

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV)

While the high tide of the seeker-sensitive movement is fading, many churches seem infatuated with attracting unbelievers through “relevant” preaching. They look like desperate salesmen trying to lure unbelievers inside with advice about contemporary issues. While I applaud their apparent evangelistic motivation, I fear they misunderstand the biblical concept of “relevant” preaching.

What does it say about “preaching” when thousands of unbelievers flock to hear the sermon? This verse leaves only two options. Either we are witnessing a remarkable movement of God or we are not preaching “relevant” sermons. The masses may visit occasionally and appreciate our zeal, but over the long-term they will either embrace Christ or grow tired of hearing the gospel. To the lost this message is ridiculous.

“Relevant” preaching is NOT using biblical passages to inform people about issues of great significance to them. Despite the cultural timeliness of offering financial principles in the midst of a waning economy, we cannot accept this as “relevant” preaching. Even though marriage in our generation is a complete joke to vast segments of the population, we must not confuse marriage advice with “relevant” preaching. While better employees would improve workplace environments, we must not receive tips for success as “relevant” preaching.

At the most basic level “relevant” preaching produces sermons that expose the meaning and real-world significance of a biblical passage. I am not arguing for disconnected biblical lectures or theological treatises as often our sermons will address issues like finances and marriage. However, for preaching to be “relevant” it must allow God’s word to reveal the truth people NEED to hear, which is only found in the gospel.

When preaching consistently and straightforwardly presents the gospel, unbelievers will either respond in faith or consider it foolish for two reasons.

First, the gospel rightly preached attacks human ability. It calls people weak and powerless. It tells people they are hopeless God-haters. It calls us to surrender and selflessness. People who are separated from God want no part of this message.

Second, the gospel rightly preached attacks human wisdom. It calls people stupid and unwise. It points to our inability to comprehend the greatest mystery of life. It calls our smartest thoughts dumb. It contradicts our sense of intelligence.

The message of Jesus Christ crucified for sin is ridiculous to the world. So if the world consistently applauds our preaching it must not be very relevant after all?

On July 9, I started this series as a call for others to join me in praying for an extraordinary work of God.

In the last three posts on this subject (July 26, August 6, and August 22), I identified three characteristics that were present during the season of revival recorded in Nehemiah 8-10. The public proclamation of God’s Word preceded His work. A sense of overwhelming grief over of their sin prepared the people for life change. And the invitation to worship God by recounting His faithfulness in the past led the people toward the resolve to life differently.

Ultimately, however, this and other great works of God are entirely dependent on the Holy Spirit. So I close this series with a prayer and I plead with you to continue praying with me for God’s extraordinary movement in our lives and churches.

God, in the Name of Your Son Jesus and by the power of Your Holy Spirit, breathe afresh in our hearts…

Send men to Your churches.

• Men who love Your bride, the church…
• Men who want to serve her…
• Men who won’t beat her with words…
• Men who won’t abandon her when she looks ugly…
• Men who embrace her as an instrument for Your glory in the world…
• Men who hold firmly to Your word…
• Men who love Your word…
• Men who feed on Your word…
• Men who know Your word better than they know sports…
• Men who trust Your word more than creativity…
• Men who study Your word more than they watch television…
• Men who will quote Your word more than movies…
• Men who labor at preaching and teaching…
• Men who preach Your word with humility and courage…
• Men who obey Your word with zeal…
• Men who won’t listen to the applause of the crowd…
• Men who hate their lives enough to lose them…
• Men who will lead us to rebirth and renewal…

Show me the depth of my sin.

• Show me how much I love myself…
• Show me when I mistake the freedom of Your boundaries for captivity…
• Show me when I trust my intuition more than Your word…
• Show me how I crave earthly pleasure…
• Show me when my pursuit of You is marked by laziness…
• Show me how I fear the future…
• Show me when I measure security in terms of money in the bank…
• Show me how badly I yearn for worldly recognition…
• Show me the depth of my rebellion…

Remind us of Your faithfulness…

• Remind us of how You rescued us from sin…
• Remind us of how You healed our wounded hearts…
• Remind us of how You pursued us while we fled from You…
• Remind us of how You died for us before we loved You…
• Remind us of how You freed us from the bondage of sin…
• Remind us of how You delivered us from our slavery to sin…
• Remind us of how You protected us from ourselves…
• Remind us of how You have sustained us from day-to-day…
• Remind us that without You we have no hope…

God, change our lives for the sake of Your Name, Amen.

On July 9, I presented part one of this series in which I wrote…

“The Bible and church history bear witness to the fact that particular people in particular places have experienced extraordinary movements of God.”

and

“Because I long to see this type of abnormal movement, I want to draw attention to one such season from the Old Testament and invite you to join me in pleading with God to bless us in this way.”

I return to this subject today to highlight a final characteristic present during the season of extraordinary revival recorded in Nehemiah 8-10.

God’s movement included an invitation to worship God by recounting His faithfulness in the past.

Again, you might recall that the Israelites gathered to hear God’s Word read and they responded by confessing their sin. A group of men stood and led the people to worship God.

They called the people to worship Him by recounting His faithfulness to the Israelite nation throughout previous generations. In fact, Nehemiah 9:5-37 records their act of remembering God’s work from creation to their present day.

One reason so many individuals and churches fail to see God’s power manifested in His extraordinary movement stems from our terrible memory. Many people are too ignorant biblically to know what God did in the past. Others are so preoccupied with what God can do for them today to care about what He did in the past. Still others are too busy to remember God’s faithfulness in even their own lives last week.

Our short memories hinder our worship God. And our dispassionate worship hinders our ability to experience the extraordinary work of God. We will value God supremely (or worship Him) when we consider more fully the breadth and depth of His work in our lives and throughout history.

Until we understand and embrace God’s extraordinary work in the past to the degree that it elicits worship, we are not likely to see His extraordinary work in the present.

God, we ask you to lead us to worship you by reminding us of your faithfulness in the past. We pray that you would draw us to read your Word and to glean a greater understanding of your faithfulness. We ask you to give us the discipline to record even the smallest incidents of your faithfulness in our lives so that we can praise you for each of them in the future.